Method, apparatus, and program product for generating product repair cost estimates

ABSTRACT

A method encompasses a damage evaluation session which may be initiated by an evaluation system user using a user device such as a smartphone. The evaluation session allows the user to identify a damaged section of a damaged product, and then displays a properly sized representation of the damaged section at the user device. This displayed representation of the damaged section is associated with a grid which defines a number of grid segments with each grid segment located over a respective portion of the representation. The method includes receiving a damage severity level input for one or more of the grid segments. Based upon the damage severity level input for the one or more grid segments, damage estimate data is retrieved from a repair data store and applied to produce an overall repair cost estimate for the damaged section.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a system for automated evaluation ofdamages to a vehicle or other product and for automated production ofrepair cost estimates. The invention encompasses methods for evaluatingdamages and producing repair cost estimates as well as apparatus andprogram products for implementing the methods.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Damage estimation is commonly required for vehicles that have beeninvolved in some sort of accident or have otherwise suffered damage.Damage estimates have historically been prepared by experienced andskilled personnel such as insurance adjusters, writers, estimators, orappraisers. The person preparing the estimation reviews the damage,commonly in person, and prepares an estimate of the anticipated costsfor repair or replacement based on their own judgment and experience, orwith the aid of a computer program which stores repair cost information.Once the estimate is produced, the consumer may take the vehicle to arepair shop where the estimate is used as a basis for an approvedpayment to the repair shop in exchange for the repair of the vehicle.

One problem with prior damage evaluation processes is that they can beinconvenient to the consumer. The consumer must schedule a time andplace for an estimator to see the damaged vehicle to facilitate thedamage evaluation. Perhaps most importantly, however, prior damageevaluation processes may only be accurately performed by skilledpersonnel. Thus prior damage evaluation processes represent asignificant cost to the insurance company, property owner, or propertyguardian responsible for producing the damage repair estimation. Thereis therefore a need for streamlining and improving the product damageevaluation process to reduce the required time and costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The various embodiments of the present invention provide processes andsystems for performing damage evaluations and generating repair costestimates without the need for a skilled professional estimator. Inparticular, vehicle owners, vehicle users, vehicle guardians, and othersmay utilize a smart phone, personal computer, or other network-connectedcomputing device to interface with a remote damage evaluation systemwhich can quickly produce an accurate estimation for repair of thevehicle.

It should be noted that although the invention has particularapplication to vehicles such as cars, trucks, boats, and motorcycles,evaluation processes within the scope of the present invention are by nomeans limited to use with vehicles. Rather, the present inventionapplies to any type of product for which a damage evaluation and repairestimate may be needed.

In one embodiment, a method according to the present inventionencompasses an evaluation session which may be initiated by anevaluation system user using a user device which may be a smart phone,personal computer, tablet computer, or other Internet enabled device.This evaluation session includes receiving product identifyinginformation which identifies a product which has been damaged. Thisproduct identifying information allows a sectional representation of theproduct to be displayed to the user via the user device and thesectional representation allows the user to provide a section inputwhich identifies a damaged section of the damaged product. Where thedamaged product is a car, the section input might identify the hood orpassenger side front quarter panel as the damaged section, for example.Once a damaged section of the product has been identified, variousembodiments of the present invention further include causing a properlysized representation of the damaged section to be displayed at the userdevice. Some forms of the invention may include prompting the user toenter certain inputs to provide a representation (such as a photograph)of the damaged section and to resize the representation as necessary.This displayed representation of the damaged section is associated witha grid which defines a number of grid segments with each grid segmentlocated over a respective portion of the representation. Once thegrid-associated representation is displayed at the user device, themethod allows the user to make a damage severity level input for one ormore of the grid segments. Based upon the damage severity levelinput(s), damage estimate data are retrieved from a repair data storeand the damage data are applied to produce an overall repair costestimate for the damaged section. The damage severity level input andthe particular grid segment associated with the damage severity levelinput represent user-supplied damage information which may be used toproduce the overall repair cost estimate.

Of course, the present invention is not limited to evaluating andproviding a damage repair estimate for simply a single section of thegiven product. Rather, two or more damaged sections may be identified, agrid-associated representation of each damaged section may be displayed,and damage severity level inputs may be received for one or more gridsegments of each of the damaged sections of the product. Ultimately, amethod within the scope of the present invention may, based on thedamage severity level inputs received for the various grid segments ofthe different damaged sections, produce an overall repair cost estimatefor all of the indicated damaged sections of the product.

Each of the various steps in the illustrative methods described in thepreceding paragraph may include variations and additional substeps. Forexample, the step of receiving product identifying information toidentify the damaged product may include receiving an accountidentifier, such as an insurance account identifier, from the userdevice, and performing a lookup in a suitable database to read productidentifying information associated with the account identifier. Numerousother options regarding the receipt of product identifying informationand the other steps in the illustrative method described above will bedescribed below in connection with the illustrative processes shown inthe drawings.

The invention further includes apparatus for facilitating theabove-described methods and other embodiments. One particular apparatusembodying the principles of the invention includes a data storage deviceand a data processing device which are operably connected forcommunication with each other. The data processing device is configuredto perform the steps indicated above. Namely, the data processing deviceis configured to receive the product identifying information, thesection input(s), and the damage severity level input(s). The dataprocessing device is also configured to cause the grid-associatedsection representations to be displayed at a display of the user device,and to retrieve the damage estimate data from the repair data store andproduce the overall repair cost estimate for the damaged section. Therepair data store may be stored in the data storage device or in one ormore additional data storage devices, or in a combination of the datastorage device and one or more additional data storage devices.

It will be appreciated that the data processing device may comprise ageneral purpose data processing device. Thus the invention alsoencompasses program products stored on one or more tangible data storagedevices. Program products embodying the principles of the invention mayinclude grid correlation program code, input program code, andevaluation program code. The grid correlation program code is executableto cause the grid-associated damaged section representation to bedisplayed on the user device. The input program code is executable toreceive the product identifying information, the section input(s), andthe damage severity level input(s). The evaluation program code isexecutable to retrieve the damage estimate data based on the variousdamage severity level inputs and produce the overall repair costestimate for the damaged section or sections.

As noted above regarding the methods of evaluating the damaged productand generating a repair cost estimate, there are numerous variationswithin the scope of the present invention. So too are there manyvariations in the apparatus and program products within the scope of thepresent invention. Apparatus and program product variations will bediscussed in the following description of illustrative embodiments alongwith variations in the inventive method.

These and other advantages and features of the invention will beapparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments,considered along with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a high level system configurationaccording to one embodiment of the present invention, and also showing asystem connection to the Internet and example remote devices that mayinterface with the system.

FIG. 2A is a first portion of a flow chart illustrating a methodaccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2B is a second portion of the flow chart illustrating a methodaccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2C is a third portion of the flow chart illustrating a methodaccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2D is a fourth portion of the flow chart illustrating a methodaccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2E is a fifth portion of the flow chart illustrating a methodaccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2F is a sixth portion of the flow chart illustrating a methodaccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a representation of a first interface display which may beproduced for a system user according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a representation of a second interface display which may beproduced for a system user.

FIG. 5 is a representation of a third interface display which may beproduced for a system user.

FIG. 6 is a representation of a different state of the interface displayshown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a representation of a fourth interface display which may beproduced for a system user.

FIG. 8 is a representation of a fifth interface display which may beproduced for a system user.

FIG. 9 is a representation of a different state of the interface displayshown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a representation of a sixth interface display which may beproduced for a system user.

FIG. 11 is a representation of a different state of the interfacedisplay shown in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a representation of another different state of the interfacedisplay shown in FIG. 10.

FIG. 13 is a representation of a seventh interface display which may beproduced for a system user.

FIG. 14 is a representation of an eighth interface display which may beproduced for a system user.

FIG. 15 is a representation of a ninth interface display which may beproduced for a system user.

FIG. 16 is a representation of a damage repair estimate which may beproduced for a system user.

FIG. 17 is a diagrammatic representation of the flow of data to and froman evaluation engine according to one form of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a flow chart showing an evaluation process which may beemployed by various embodiments of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates a damage evaluation system 100 within the scope ofthe present invention. Evaluation system 100 includes elements thatcollect or store information necessary or useful for performingevaluations and also includes an evaluation engine 101 that performs theevaluations and produces damage repair estimates. FIG. 1 also showselements in dashed box 102 which are not included in evaluation system100 but which provide or facilitate data inputs for a given evaluationor provide configuration inputs for configuring various options or rulesto be applied in a given evaluation.

Referring to the evaluation system 100 shown in FIG. 1, the systemincludes a web server 104, a local database server 105, and anadministrative interface 106 in addition to evaluation engine 101. Webserver 104 provides an interface across the Internet 107 to collect datafor a given evaluation. In some implementations, web server 104 providesinterface web pages which may be displayed on a user's device via a webbrowser executing on the device, and these interface web pages allow auser to input data for an evaluation or provide instructions to theuser. In other implementations of the invention, web server 104 may alsoor alternatively interact with an application executing on a user'sdevice to receive data for an evaluation and to provide userinstructions. Examples of these web pages or application pages areillustrated in FIGS. 3-16 and will be described below in connection withthe example method shown in the flow charts of FIGS. 2A-2F. Web server104 also provides interface web pages or may interact with a remotelyexecuting application to receive configuration instructions andevaluation rules from a client to be applied to evaluations performedfor that specific client. Additionally, web server 104 may be used incooperation with administrative interface 106 to allow administrativefunctions associated with the evaluation system, such as reporting anddatabase updates. Local database server 105 shown in illustrativeevaluation system 100 stores and provides access to a database ordatabases of various information needed by the evaluation engine forperforming an evaluation and producing a damage repair estimate. Inparticular, local database server 105 may store repair data in the formof information relating potential damage level and location informationto part data and labor cost data which the evaluation engine 101 appliesin performing an evaluation.

A third-party database 110 is shown in FIG. 1 as being accessible toevaluation system 100 across the Internet 107. Third-party databasessuch as database 110 may be accessed by evaluation system 100 to obtainvehicle information or other information necessary in performing anevaluation. Examples of third-party databases which may be accessed byevaluation system 100 will be described below in connection with FIG.2B.

FIG. 1 also shows example user and client devices which may be used tointerface with evaluation system 100. Clients may be entities such asinsurance companies that commonly have a need for a damage evaluationand damage repair estimate. Thus FIG. 1 shows insurance company clientdevice 112, which may be a personal computer or other Internet enableddevice which a client employee uses to interface with evaluation system100. It should be noted, however, that clients of evaluation system 100are not limited to insurance companies. For example, companies such asrental car companies and other companies that operate fleets of vehiclesmay also be clients of evaluation system 100. Also, entities such asparking garages which temporarily take custody of vehicles may beclients of evaluation system 100. Client device 114 in FIG. 1 may thusbe a device such as a personal computer or other Internet enabled deviceused by a rental car company employee, a parking garage companyemployee, or an employee of any other type of company requiring damageevaluation services. It will be appreciated that client devices 112 and114 communicate with evaluation system 100 via a suitable mechanism suchas web server 104, either through a web browser or via a client programspecifically adapted to communicate with the web server.

The users of evaluation system 100 are persons who interface with thesystem to initiate an evaluation session. Users may be client insurancecompany customers such as a customer interfacing with evaluation system100 through user device 115. It is also possible for individuals actingas an employee or agent of a client to serve as a user or to assist auser/customer in interacting with evaluation system 100. Of course, theinvention is not limited to any particular type of user, and thus a userinteracting with evaluation system 100 through user device 116 in FIG. 1may be any type of user that has access to the evaluation system 100 toinitiate a damage evaluation and obtain a damage repair estimate. Abenefit of evaluation system 100 is that users (such as users operatinguser devices 115 and 116 in FIG. 1) need have no expertise or experiencein evaluating damages and producing damage repair estimates. Rather,users need only follow the instructions provided via web server 104 orthe web server in combination with a client application on their userdevice to input data on which evaluation system 100 operates to performan evaluation and produce a damage repair estimate.

The example evaluation system 100 shown in FIG. 1 relies on the Internetto facilitate communications with user devices 115 and 116, clientdevices 112 and 114, and third-party database 110. It should beappreciated that while the invention is well adapted for application ofInternet-based communications, the invention is not limited to Internetcommunication with users and clients or other entities, and is notlimited to any particular type of network communication orcommunications protocols. Also, it will be appreciated that the simpleschematic representation of the system shown in FIG. 1 is not intendedto imply any particular network topography or data processingarrangement is required for implementing the invention. For example,although FIG. 1 shows the separate local database server 105, web server104, and evaluation engine 101, it will be appreciated that all of theseelements may be implemented on the same physical data processing device.Also, the various functions of local database server 105, web server104, and evaluation engine 101 may be distributed among any arrangementof different data processing devices. Any of the data processing devicesemployed to implement evaluation system 100 may be personal computers orserver computers with sufficient memory and other resources to executethe program code providing the various functions, and with suitableinterface controllers to facilitate the required communications withother system components.

As noted above, the present invention also encompasses program productsstored on tangible media or other data storage devices. These programproducts are executable to provide the functionality described above inconnection with FIG. 1 and as described below in the flow charts shownin FIGS. 2A through 2F. The various processing devices may execute gridcorrelation program code to cause the grid-associated sectionrepresentations to be displayed on the respective user device. Inputprogram code may be executed to receive the product identifyinginformation, section inputs identifying damaged product sections, anddamage severity level inputs. Both the grid correlation program code andthe input program code may, for example, be executed by web server 104.Alternatively or in addition to programs executed by web server 104,aspects of the input program code or other program code according to thepresent invention may be executed at the user device (such as userdevices 115 and 116 in FIG. 1). Evaluation program code may be executedby evaluation engine 101 or some other suitable processing device toretrieve damage estimate data from the repair data store and to producethe desired output, such as a repair cost estimate.

FIGS. 2A through 2F together provide a flow chart showing an examplemethod according to one form of the invention. This overall flow chartrepresents a process performed by evaluation system 100 for a singleevaluation session involving a single damaged vehicle or other productfor which the damage is to be evaluated. For example, assume that a usersuch as an insurance company customer-user using device 115 has anaccident in the user's car. The user may begin an evaluation sessionwhich is then conducted according to the process flow shown in FIGS. 2Athrough 2F to allow the evaluation system to evaluate the damage to thevehicle and produce a damage repair estimate. It will be noted that someof the process steps shown in FIGS. 2A through 2F are steps in which theevaluation system (such as system 100 in FIG. 1) causes a user devicesuch as a smartphone, PC, laptop, tablet, or other Internet enableddevice to display certain graphical user interfaces in the form of webpages, on-screen display, or in the form of displays controlled by anevaluation system program product application executing on the userdevice (such as devices 115 and 116 in FIG. 1). FIGS. 3 through 16 showrepresentative interface displays which the evaluation system (such assystem 100 in FIG. 1) may cause to be displayed at the user device.These interface displays will be discussed below in connection with thevarious flow chart elements with which they are associated.

As noted above, evaluation methods, systems, and program productsaccording to the invention are not limited to the evaluation of vehicledamage. However, the application to vehicle damage is certainly animportant application of the invention, and provides a good example forthe purposes of disclosing the various features and characteristics ofthe invention. It should be borne in mind throughout the discussion ofFIGS. 2A through 2F that this method is simply an example and thatmethods according to the invention may be applied to evaluations forother products with little or no variation from illustrated steps.

Referring to FIG. 2A an evaluation method according to the invention maystart with receiving an evaluation session request as indicated atprocess block 201. In response to receiving the evaluation sessionrequest, the method initiates an evaluation session as indicated atprocess block 202. These two steps, receiving an evaluation sessionrequest and initiating an evaluation session may be performed in anumber of different fashions within the scope of the invention. In onepreferred form of the invention, a client insurance company may providean Internet web page for their insurance customers, and this web pagemay provide information regarding the insurance company's claims processtogether with an Internet link which directs the inquiring customer to aweb page provided through an evaluation system web server such as webserver 104 shown in FIG. 1. The step of receiving the evaluation sessionrequest in this example may comprise the insurance customer's invokingthe link on their insurance provider's website or making some otherinput once they have navigated to that link. Alternatively, the user ofthe evaluation system may simply navigate directly to the website hostedby web server 104. In this latter case the evaluation session request isreceived directly through the evaluation system starting webpage. In yetanother alternative, the evaluation session request is received througha web server such as web server 104 in FIG. 1 via an evaluationsystem-specific application executing on the user device. Regardless ofhow the evaluation session request is received, the process ofinitiating the evaluation session as shown in process block 202 mayinclude making certain database entries for the session through webpages, device applications, or other input platforms.

Once the evaluation session is initiated at process block 202 in FIG.2A, the illustrated method includes detecting the user device type asshown at process block 203. This device type detection may be performedby any suitable detection technique now known in the art or developed inthe future. If the user device is a mobile device and does not have anevaluation system-specific application installed, it is potentiallydesirable (given the current state of technology for communications witha mobile device) to install such an application on the device ratherthan relying on the general web browser interface that the mobile devicemay have. Thus if the user device is a mobile device as indicated by theoutcome at decision box 204, and if no evaluation system-specificapplication is installed on the mobile device as indicated by a negativeoutcome at decision box 205, the method proceeds to perform anapplication download and installation as shown at process block 206. Ifthe user device is not a mobile device, or if the evaluation systemapplication is already installed on the device, or once the applicationdownload and installation is completed at process block 206, the methodcontinues to provide the user options to obtain instructionalinformation on the evaluation process. In particular, the method mayoffer to display an instructional video to the user as indicated atprocess block 210 and may offer an evaluation process guide download asindicated at process block 214. These method steps may include causingthe user device to display one or more graphical user interfaces whichgive the user the option of taking the particular instructional action.If the user accepts the offer as to the instructional video as indicatedby an affirmative outcome at decision box 211, the evaluation systemproceeds to cause the user device to play the instructional video asindicated at process block 212. If the user accepts the offer of theprocess guide download as indicated by a positive outcome at decisionbox 215, the evaluation system begins to perform the guide downloadprocess as indicated at process block 216. Once the instructionalactions are taken, or it they are declined, the method continues to theportion shown in FIG. 2B.

The portion of the example evaluation method shown in FIG. 2B involvessteps to identify the damaged vehicle which is the subject of theevaluation session, and collect other general information which mayaffect the evaluation. In particular, the method includes directing theuser device to display a product identification interface as indicatedat process block 218. FIG. 3 provides an example of a productidentification interface. This particular interface provides an optionof manually entering vehicle type information through a series ofdrop-down menus 301, or the option of entering a registrationnumber/identifier for the vehicle in a field 302. Although not shown inFIG. 3, another option for entering vehicle identifying information isto enter an insurance policy number that is associated with the user'sdamaged vehicle which is the subject of the evaluation session. In lightof these options the method shown in FIG. 2B includes determiningwhether a vehicle registration number or identifier has been input asindicated by the outcome at decision box 219, and determining whether apolicy identifier has been entered as indicated by the outcome atdecision box 220. If a vehicle registration number/identifier is entered(such as in field 302 in FIG. 3 for example), the evaluation systemperforms a lookup for that number/identifier as indicated at processblock 221. This step at block 221 may require a query from evaluationsystem 100 to a third-party database such as third-party database 110shown in FIG. 1. Alternatively the registration number/identifier lookupmay require a query to an internal database or a database maintained byan insurance company client which insures the user. If a policyidentifier is entered, a lookup is performed for that policy identifieras indicated at process block 224. It should be noted here that sincethere may be more than one vehicle associated with a given insurancepolicy, an additional interface display may be produced at the userdevice to show a list of the vehicles from which the user may choose thecorrect vehicle. Alternatively to identifying the vehicle through aregistration lookup or insurance policy identifier lookup, the methodmay include simply receiving a manual product identification asindicated at process block 225 in FIG. 2B. This manual identificationmay be obtained via the pull-down menu fields 301 shown in FIG. 3.

The process steps shown in FIG. 2B also include steps for obtainingother information which may be helpful in performing the vehicle damageevaluation or providing other services or assistance to the user. Inparticular, FIG. 2B includes directing the user device to display asituational information interface as indicated at process block 226 andreceiving situational information as indicated at process block 227. Thesituational information may include numerous types of informationrelevant to the evaluation to be performed. For example, the situationalinformation interface may include a display such as that shown in FIG.4, which asks a number of questions relating to the accident or to thetype of damage which the vehicle has sustained. Follow-up screensproviding additional information or requesting additional informationmay be produced depending upon the answers to the questions shown inFIG. 4.

Once the vehicle which is the subject of the evaluation session has beenidentified, the illustrated method begins steps necessary to obtaindamage information needed for performing the evaluation and producingthe damage repair estimate. These steps can be separated into differentgroups in FIGS. 2C through 2E. The upper portion of FIG. 2C includessteps associated with identifying discrete vehicle sections which havebeen damaged. The later processes shown in FIG. 2E loop back to thesesteps in FIG. 2C until all damaged sections have been identified. Thelower portion of FIG. 2C and all of FIG. 2D include steps associatedwith obtaining a photograph of the given damaged vehicle section whichhas been identified and sizing the photograph as necessary for thepresent invention. The photograph in this particular embodiment of theinvention provides the grid-associated representation which is usedaccording to the invention to obtain damage level and locationinformation according to the process steps shown in FIG. 2E.

Referring to FIG. 2C the example method includes directing the userdevice to display a section selection interface as indicated at processblock 230. This interface allows the user to input, and the evaluationsystem to receive, a damaged section input as indicated at process block233. The received damaged section input identifies a section of thevehicle which has been damaged. FIGS. 5 and 6 show an example sectionselection interface which may be displayed in accordance with processblock 230 in FIG. 2C. The example section selection interface of FIGS. 5and 6 includes a sectioned representation of the vehicle 501 which hasbeen identified earlier in the process. This sectioned representation501 allows the user to easily select the section or sections which havebeen damaged. In particular, the user may simply select a vehiclesection by touching the section in the event the user device is a touchscreen device, or may select a vehicle section with a pointer for othertypes of user devices. The example of FIGS. 5 and 6 indicates that thevehicle front bumper has been selected (as indicated by the text tag 502in FIG. 5 and change in the color of the front bumper in both figures).

Referring again to FIG. 2C, the illustrated method also includes causingthe user device to display a photo request interface as indicated atprocess block 236. There are a number of options according to theinvention for providing a photo (or other representation). The threeoptions covered in the example method include receiving the desiredsection photo directly from the user's camera (such as a cameraassociated with a smartphone or tablet computer), receiving the photofrom a library of photos previously stored at (or accessible from) theuser's device, and from a library stored in the evaluation system or athird-party database accessible to the evaluation system.

In the event the user does not have a photo of the damaged section ofthe vehicle as indicated by a negative outcome at decision box 237, theprocess proceeds to obtain a section photo from a database of suchphotos as indicated at process block 238. This database may be availablethrough local database server 105 or from a third-party database such asdatabase 110 (both in FIG. 1). If the user does have a photo to beuploaded directly from the user's smartphone or tablet cameraapplication as indicated by the “from camera” outcome at decision box240, the method proceeds to the resizing steps shown in FIG. 2D whichwill be described below. If the user photo is from the user's library ofphotos and other data, the method proceeds to a photo selection processindicated at process block 241. This photo selection process may includecausing the user device to display a photograph library or file folderson the user device, and ultimately allowing the user to select aparticular photo. Once the photo is uploaded according to the photoselection process at block 241, the method continues to the resizingsteps shown in FIG. 2D. It should be noted that the method may begin thephoto selection process from an interface display such as that shown inFIG. 6, using the controls 601 or 602 which are displayed in the exampleinterface once the damaged vehicle section is selected.

Referring to FIG. 2D the example method follows one of two differentphoto resizing processes depending upon whether the photo is uploadedfrom a user library or is obtained directly from the user's cameraassociated with their smartphone or tablet. In the event the photo isuploaded from the user's library, the process includes causing the userdevice to display photo resizing instructions as indicated at processblock 245. The process also includes causing the user device to displaythe uploaded photograph with a section outline as indicated at processblock 246. FIG. 7 shows an example of photo resizing instructions whichmay be displayed in accordance with process block 245, while FIG. 8provides an example of a section outline display according to processblock 246. This example of FIG. 8 shows the uploaded photograph 801 anda section outline 802 to be used to resize the photograph to the sizerequired by the evaluation process. In particular, the user may usehandles 803 associated with the photograph to adjust the size of thephotograph until the outline of the car matches section outline 802.FIG. 9 shows the state of the interface display after the user hasadjusted the photograph 801 to match the section outline 802.Ultimately, a photo resizing input is received as indicated at processblock 247 in FIG. 2D, with the result being that the photograph isresized to match the displayed section outline 802. A photo lockinginput may be made by invoking control 805 in FIGS. 8 and 9, and thisphoto locking input may represent the photo resizing input received atblock 247 in FIG. 2D. As will be described below in connection with FIG.2E and FIGS. 18 and 19, the photo resizing facilitates the matching ofdamage level indications to a specific part of the damaged vehiclesection. This in turn allows evaluation engine (101 in FIG. 1) toretrieve the correct damage repair data and produce a more accuratedamage repair estimate as will be described below in connection withFIG. 17.

In the event the photo is obtained from the user's camera, the stepsshown in FIG. 2D leverage the capabilities of the user device itself toresize the photo before uploading the resized photo to the evaluationsystem (100 in FIG. 1). In this case the method includes first causingthe user device to display photo resizing instructions as indicated atprocess block 253 in FIG. 2D. These may be instructions similar to thoseshown in FIG. 7. The process next includes causing the user device todisplay the photograph on the user device with a section outline asindicated at process block 254, and then receiving a photo resizinginput from the camera device as indicated at process block 255. Thesection outline display and resizing may be similar to that shown inFIGS. 8 and 9. This resizing input aligns the photograph with thesection outline for the same purposes as those noted above in connectionwith process block 247. The resized and aligned photo may then beuploaded to the evaluation system (100 in FIG. 1) from the user deviceas indicated at process block 248.

It will be noted that photograph resizing steps are shown only forphotographs obtained from the user and not for photographs obtained froma section database as shown at process block 238. It is assumed in thisillustrated example process that a photograph obtained according toprocess block 238 is already sized correctly. However, otherimplementations may require resizing even photographs obtained from asection photo database.

FIG. 2E includes steps associated with receiving an indication of thelevel of damage at specific locations of the given section of thevehicle. Preparatory to receiving damage level indications, theillustrated example method includes causing the user device to displaydamage level selection instructions as indicated at process block 258.An example of such a display is shown in FIG. 10. Once the instructionshave been displayed, the illustrated method includes causing the userdevice to display the resized photo together with a grid 1200 for thatparticular section of the vehicle as indicated at process block 259.FIG. 12 provides an example of this photo and section grid display inwhich the grid is contained within an outline that matches theperipheral shape of the photo. This example represents a damage levelassociation utility which allows the user to associate a particularlevel of damage with a particular grid segment encompassing the damage.At this point, rolling over a particular damage level, that is, aparticular predefined damage severity indicator shown in the damagelevel scale 1201 in FIG. 12, causes the display to change to the displayshown in FIG. 11 with a textual description and a photograph showing anexample of that level of damage. The textual description andphotographic example shown in FIG. 11 are each a predefinedrepresentation of that respective level of damage. The predefined damageseverity indicators shown in the example of FIG. 12 include thedifferent levels of damage labeled “Ding,” “Scratch,” “Scrape,” “Dent,”and “Irreparable.” The user may request damage level help by invokingthe “Help?” icon shown in both FIGS. 11 and 12. If the user requestshelp as indicated by an affirmative outcome at decision box 268 in FIG.2E, the method continues to cause the user device to display examplesand definitions of the various damage levels as indicated at processblock 264. Once the examples are displayed, or if no damage level helpis requested, the method includes receiving a damage severity levelinput represented by a selected one of the predefined damage severityindicators such as those labeled “Ding,” “Scratch,” “Scrape,” “Dent,”and “Irreparable” in the example of FIG. 12. Receiving the damageseverity level input is indicated at process block 265 and receiving agrid segment input is indicated at process block 266 to associate thedamage severity level input with a particular grid segment. In somecases, a particular damage severity level input for a particular gridsegment may indicate that an additional question should be asked of theuser to help facilitate a more accurate evaluation. If this is the caseas indicated by an affirmative outcome at decision box 267, the methodincludes causing the user device to display a suitable inquiry foradditional information as indicated at process block 268. FIG. 13provides an example of such an additional request for information, whileFIG. 14 provides an example of a follow up display in the event the useranswers the inquiry shown at FIG. 13 in the affirmative.

If no additional information is indicated by the received damageseverity level input and grid segment input from process blocks 265 and266, respectively, the method includes looping back through processblocks 260, 264, 265, and 266 if there is an additional grid segmentwhich requires a damage severity level input as indicated by the outcomeat decision box 270. Otherwise, in the event of a negative outcome atdecision box 270, and if there is an additional damaged section of thevehicle as indicated by an affirmative outcome a decision box 272, themethod returns to the process for selecting a section in FIG. 2C. In theexample interface display shown in FIG. 12, the user may invoke the“Select Additional Panels” control 1205 to return to the sectionselection process and select another damaged section of the vehicle.Otherwise, if there are no additional damaged sections, the processproceeds to the evaluation and reporting processes shown in FIG. 2F. Inthe example of FIG. 12, the user may move to the evaluation interfacedisplays by invoking the “Next: The Evaluation” control 1206 in FIG. 12.

It should be noted that some forms of the invention may not show thegrid 1200 shown for purposes of example in FIGS. 11 and 12. Rather, thegrid may not be visible to the user. However, even in implementations inwhich a grid such as grid 1200 in FIG. 12 is not shown, the displayedsection representation (the photograph) is still associated with a gridsuch that each grid segment covers a different area of the sectionrepresentation. Thus even where the grid is not displayed to the user,the user's selection of a damaged area of the section effectivelyselects the grid area associated with that damaged area. The selectedgrid area may still be highlighted when the associated section area isselected, and this highlighting may be shown as in the example at 1208of FIG. 12, although the remainder of the grid would still not bedisplayed.

The various steps of the example process shown in FIGS. 2A through 2Ehave provided the evaluation system (100 in FIG. 1) with all of thevehicle identification information, situational information, and vehicledamage information necessary for the evaluation system to perform anevaluation of the damage and provide results of the evaluation. Theevaluation step is shown in FIG. 2F at process block 280. Furtherdiscussion of the evaluation step will be set out below in connectionwith FIGS. 17 and 18.

In addition to showing the evaluation step, FIG. 2F also shows the stepof looking up evaluation display options for a client which may beassociated with the evaluation. This lookup step is shown at processblock 281 in FIG. 2F. For example, where the user is a customer of aninsurance company which is a client of the evaluation system, theinsurance company client may have set certain options for the display ofevaluation results for its customers. The lookup at process block 281obtains the display options for the client, or default display optionsin the event there is no client or the client has not selected anyparticular display options for the evaluation results. These displayoptions may be defined in the system as client rules as discussed belowin connection with FIG. 18. As will be discussed in connection with FIG.18, such client rules and other rules may be retrieved as part of theevaluation process rather than as a separate step after evaluation asshown in FIG. 2F. In any event, once the options are known, the processcauses the user device to display the evaluation results and options asindicated by the steps in dashed box 285. For example, the displayprocess may give the user the option of selecting between a simpleevaluation or other options. If the user selects a simple evaluation,the process causes the user device to display the simple evaluation asindicated at process block 287. Alternatively, if the user selects asecond option or third option or additional option, the method includesperforming the selected evaluation display option as indicated atprocess block 289, 291, and 293.

FIG. 15 provides an example of an interface display which the evaluationsystem (100 in FIG. 1) may cause the user device to display as indicatedat dashed box 285 in FIG. 2F. This particular interface is appropriatefor a user who is a customer of an insurance company, and providescontrols to select four different options in addition to invoking the“?” help icon 1501. Control 1502 may be invoked to cause the user deviceto display the result of the evaluation, that is, a damage repairestimate. Control 1503 may be invoked to initiate a claim filing processthrough the insurance carrier. Control 1504 may be invoked to contactcustomer service for the user's insurance company through a suitablecontact process, such as live chat or email. Control 1505 may be invokedto cause the user device to display nearby repair shops for repairingthe damaged vehicle. It should be noted that while the option interfaceshown in FIG. 15 is displayed at the user device under the control ofthe evaluation system, some of the controls may comprise links that takethe user out of the evaluation system. For example, the “File Claim”control 1503 may take the user to an insurance company web page forinitiating a claim, and the “Customer Service” control 1504 may take theuser to an insurance company website. It should also be appreciated thatsome of the display screens which may be displayed in response to acontrol in FIG. 15 may allow the user to navigate back to the optionpage. For example, the evaluation report displayed in response toinvoking the “View Evaluation” control 1502 in FIG. 15, may allow theuser to return to the interface of FIG. 15 from the evaluation report sothat the user may select another one of the options.

FIG. 16 illustrates an example evaluation result (damage repairestimate) which may be displayed to the user through the user device.The evaluation system may, for example, cause such a result to bedisplayed at the user device in response to the user's selection of the“View Evaluation” control 1502 shown in FIG. 15. The evaluation resultdisplay may itself include a number of controls 1601 enabling the userto print the report, email it, or take some other action.

FIG. 17 diagrammatically illustrates the flow of data to and fromevaluation engine 101, which performs damage evaluations based onvehicle data 1702, repair data 1703, damage severity information 1704,and grid information 1705. Vehicle data 1702 comprises data whichdefines the particular vehicle for which the given evaluation isperformed, and may be obtained in the example method shown in FIG. 2B(process blocks 221, 224, or 225). The vehicle data may include thevehicle make, model, configuration (hatchback, 4-door sedan, etc.) year,color, and trim level. Repair data 1703 is cost data for the variousparts of a vehicle as well as data regarding labor costs associated withrepairing or replacing such parts. Local database server 105 shown inFIG. 1, for example, or any suitable database accessible to theevaluation engine 101 may be used to store repair data 1703. Damageinformation 1704 is information regarding the severity of damage of thevarious damaged parts of the vehicle. This damage information for agiven evaluation may be obtained through the process described in FIG.2E (process block 265). Grid information 1705 comprises informationregarding the location of damage on the vehicle. This locationinformation may be obtained according to the process shown in theexample method at FIG. 2E (process block 266), and, together with thevehicle data 1702, and the damage information 1704 provides a basic wayto query the repair data store to obtain damage estimate data, that is,appropriate repair data 1703 for consideration in performing a givenevaluation. The manner in which repair data 1703 is stored in relationto the grid information will be described further below in connectionwith FIG. 18.

As indicated in FIG. 17, evaluation engine 101 may also apply variousrules 1707 in the process of evaluating damages and producing a damagerepair estimate. One or more of these rules 1707 may be customized by orfor a given client of the evaluation system. The illustrated rulesinclude location rules 1710, vehicle rules 1711, geographical rules1712, client rules 1714, and damage location rules 1715.

Location rules 1710 are rules that are based on particular sections of avehicle which may be selected as damaged sections in accordance with theexample process shown in FIG. 2C. For example, a section of a givenproduct may require a specific work process based on either the materialof the section, the trim of the section, or the integral structure ofthe product section. Continuing with this example, a section of a givenproduct may have a double skin of material to provide structuralintegrity or reinforcement, and this double skin structure may require aparticular repair process unique to that structure. Such a location rulewould require that costs associated with the particular repair processbe included in the damage repair estimate produced for an evaluation ofdamage that includes damage in that particular product section.

Vehicle rules 1711 are rules which are based on the particular type ofvehicle for which the evaluation is being performed, and are accessedbased on the vehicle data 1702 which is provided for the givenevaluation. For example, vehicle rules 1711 may involve particularvehicle idiosyncrasies based on their production year, write-offthresholds, availability of parts, and/or place of manufacture.

Geographical rules 1712 are rules which are based on the location of thevehicle (where the vehicle will likely be repaired). This location maybe inferred from the location of the user who requested a givenevaluation session or may be obtained as part of the situationalinformation received in accordance with process block 227 of FIG. 2B.Geographical rules 1712 may include shipping costs for parts or taxadditions required where a product is to be repaired in a particular zipcode or country.

The client rules 1714 are rules which are applicable to a given clientof the evaluation system such as for example client insurance company112 or client company 114 shown in FIG. 1. Client rules may encompassmaximum payouts and predefined limits on part replacement costs orsources. For example, a given client (such as an insurance companyclient) may require Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) parts be usedrather than used parts for certain part replacement. Client rules mayalso dictate the options available for presenting the results of theevaluation to the user and/or the options available to the user afterthe evaluation results are presented to the user.

Damage location rules 1715 are rules based on the location of where thedamage occurs in a given selected section, selected in accordance withprocess block 233 in FIG. 2C for example. In particular, the damagelocation is indicated by the grid information 1705 provided in a givenevaluation session. Damage location rules might consider, for example,the proximity and severity of damage defined close to the edge of avehicle panel that might require the blending (or color matching), orreplacement of adjacent vehicle panels. For example, a damage locationrule may require the inclusion of costs associated with color matchingwhere the damage severity information 1704 and grid information 1705indicate a certain level of damage at a certain grid segment location.

The evaluation engine output can take a number of formats based onclient or user needs. These formats may comprise either limiteddisclosure or full disclosure of part pricing, labor rates, ruleconsiderations and/or vehicle-specific costs or sub-elements of the fullevaluation. An example of a limited disclosure output is a “triageformat,” an output presented as over or under a certain system definedor client defined value. Such a triage output might indicate “over$1,000” without additional detail where the evaluation results in adamage repair estimate total over $1,000, for example. Another type ofoutput for an evaluation might be defined as a “smart repair,” whereadditional detail is given for specific repair components falling withincertain predetermined categories, but without providing full evaluationdetails. This type of evaluation can be used for a client insurancecompany (for example) to make payout decisions that do not requiregranular detail be provided to a user.

FIG. 18 illustrates an example process for performing a damageevaluation according to one preferred implementation of the invention.The process shown in FIG. 18 may be performed by the evaluation engineof the present evaluation system such as evaluation engine 101 inFIG. 1. The illustrated process can be thought of as including twostages. The steps above dashed line 1801 in FIG. 18 are steps associatedwith collecting information regarding the product for which theevaluation is produced, collecting damage information regarding theproduct, and collecting other information which may affect theevaluation. The steps below dashed line 1801 in FIG. 18 are the stepsassociated with performing the evaluation based on the collectedinformation. These steps below dashed line 1801 correspond generally tothe evaluation step shown at 280 in FIG. 2F, and comprise using thecollected information to retrieve appropriate repair data from one ormore databases associated with the evaluation system, and then producingthe desired output.

The process shown in FIG. 18 may start with receiving an evaluationsession request. This receipt of an evaluation session request maycorrespond generally to step 201 FIG. 2A. The process next includesreceiving vehicle and location data as indicated at process block 1802,receiving section information as indicated at process block 1803,receiving grid information for that section according to the process atprocess block 1804, and receiving damage severity information for thevarious grid locations as indicated at process block 1805. Theillustrated process then makes a determination as to whether any rulesapply to the given evaluation, and if so, as indicated by an affirmativeoutcome at decision box 1808, obtains the applicable rules as indicatedat process block 1809. All the data received through the processes atprocess blocks 1802 through 1805, and 1809 is stored as indicated atprocess block 1810, and this data collection process repeats for anyadditional sections of the product which have been damaged. If nofurther sections are damaged, the illustrated process branches fromdecision box 1812, and includes building a query and querying theapplicable databases for repair data as indicated at process block 1814.The data returned by this query or set of queries may be formatted asindicated by the applicable rules or otherwise produce the desiredoutput as indicated at process block 1815. The evaluation process thenterminates for that evaluation session.

The vehicle data and location data received as indicated at processblock 1802 in FIG. 18 may be received in any suitable process, includingthe process described in FIG. 2B for example. It will be appreciatedthat location information may be obtained through an input entered bythe user, or by reading the location of the user device which the useris using for the evaluation session, or by any other suitable method.

The step of receiving section identifying information at process block1803 in FIG. 18 may be performed as described above in connection withthe steps at the top of FIG. 2C, for example. Regardless of how thesection identifying information is received, the process should allowthe evaluation engine or an associated component of the present systemto cause a graphical representation of the damaged section to bedisplayed at the user device together with a grid such as that shown inthe example of FIG. 12. This representation and grid display allows theuser to easily provide information on the location of damage byhighlighting a certain area (as discussed above in connection with FIG.2E and FIG. 12) which is in turn associated with a grid segment. In thisway the evaluation engine receives grid information as indicated atprocess block 1804 in FIG. 18 in a way that allows the evaluation engineto retrieve repair data (1703 in FIG. 17) specifically for that damagedlocation.

The damage severity information received as indicated at process block1805 in FIG. 18 may be received from user inputs according to theprocess described above in connection with process block 265 of FIG. 2Eand FIGS. 10 through 14 for example. As with the grid information, thedamage severity information allows the evaluation engine to obtainrepair data (1703 in FIG. 17) that is specific to the indicated damage,including repair data associated with subparts which are indicated inview of the damage severity. Again, the ability to obtain subpart repairinformation is facilitated by the grid information which identifies bothvisible parts and subparts associated with the area of damage.

The determination made at decision box 1808 may be made in a number ofdifferent ways depending upon the particular rules which may beapplicable. For example, rules may be dictated by a given client of theevaluation system in the case where the client is an insurance companyand the user is a customer/insured of the insurance company. In the caseof client rules, the client may be identified by the manner in which theevaluation session is started. For example, where a client insurancecompany webpage takes the user to the evaluation interface webpage, itmay also concurrently communicate the client identity to the evaluationsystem. Alternatively, the user may be queried in some fashion and maydirectly input the name of an insurance company client or may select aninsurance company client from a drop-down menu. Rules regarding thegiven type of vehicle and a geographic location may be identified fromthe information received at process block 1802 in FIG. 18. Rulesapplicable to the given section of the given vehicle may be retrievedfrom the rule database with information received at process block 1803in FIG. 18. Rules related to the location of damage on the vehicle maybe obtained using information regarding the vehicle, the given section,and the given grid segment received according to process blocks 1802,1803, and 1804 in addition to damage severity information receivedaccording to process block 1805 in FIG. 18.

The step shown at process block 1814 in FIG. 18 will dependsignificantly upon the characteristics of the database or databaseswhich store the repair data for the evaluation system. Regardless of theparticular query language and database characteristics, the query isdesigned to locate and return repair data based on the input data andrules which have been received according to process blocks 1802 through1805, and 1809. The invention is not limited to any particular formatfor storing the repair data or any particular database arrangement orquery language.

The output indicated at process block 1815 may be provided in anydesirable form and will commonly be dictated by a client (such as aclient insurance company for example) according to the rules obtained asindicated at process block 1809. The invention is not limited to anyparticular type of output or format for the output. However, the outputgenerally will include a damage estimate report such as that shown inFIG. 16, which identifies the labor and parts required for repair, andthe costs associated with the labor and parts. Regardless of theparticular content and format of the output, the output may be producedin response to a user selection such as a selection indicated at dashedbox 285 in FIG. 2F. Alternatively, the evaluation engine may produce anumber of different reports and simply select the report to outputdepending upon a user input or selection. The output may be to a userdevice, to the relevant client (an insurance company client forexample), or both depending upon the client rules and user selections.In any case, a given report output may be associated with a claimidentifier in the event the evaluation session is associated with aninsurance company client. The insurance company client may then use thisclaim identifier in the client's internal claim handling system.

It will be appreciated that repair data (1703 in FIG. 17) are stored ina fashion that allows it to be accessed readily with queries dependingupon the user inputs which identify the product, the section(s) of theproduct, and the grid segment(s) of each section which is damaged. Thatis the section and grid segment data uniquely identify a location of aproduct, and thus identify the repair data associated with that sectionof the product. This includes not only the visible parts of the productbut also subparts and any repair peculiarities or characteristicsassociated with the parts and subparts. For example, the repair data fora given part or subpart may be stored in a database entry together witha field identifying a product section in which the part or subpart isincluded, a field identifying the grid segment of the part or subpart onthat product section, and a field identifying the damage level at whichthe part or subpart is typically damaged and must be repaired orreplaced. The grid segment may be defined in terms of a Cartesiancoordinate system or any other suitable system which uniquely identifiesthe various grid segments for the product section. Other databaseentries, perhaps identified by a part or subpart identifier field whichrelates the entry to the part or subpart, may store labor costsassociated with repairing or replacing the part or subpart.

The repair data stored for various parts and subparts may be associatedwith attributes which affect the evaluation process. For example,certain black plastic parts or chromed plastic parts are not repairableand must be replaced if they are damaged. Thus these parts each may beassociated with an attribute corresponding to the particularcharacteristic “black plastic” or “chromed plastic”. These attributesmay be applied in an evaluation when the evaluation engine query returnsa part or subpart associated with the given attribute, and a rule may beapplied to cause the evaluation engine to identify the part or subpartas a part which must be replaced rather than repaired.

In some implementations of the invention, a standardize grid segmentsize is used for each grid segment employed in the system. For example,a standard grid segment may be a 6 inch by 6 inch square, or any othersuitably sized square or shape. It should be appreciated that there isno limitation as to the size of grid segments which may be employed,although the grid segments should be small enough to allow theevaluation engine to retrieve repair information that accuratelydescribes the repairs actually needed to repair the product. Also, someforms of the present invention may employ a grid system in which thegrid segments are not uniformly sized across the given product section.In these cases, the size for a certain grid segment may be selectedbased on major parts or subparts which may be included in the segment.For example, a grid segment according to the invention may be defined soas to encompass a particular component such as one of the fog lamps ofthe vehicle shown in the example of FIG. 9. In any event, the gridsegments selected by the user (in accordance with block 266 in FIG. 2Efor example) are insured to be of the proper size by the process ofadjusting the size of the photograph as indicated at the bottom of FIG.2C and in FIG. 2D.

As used herein, whether in the above description or the followingclaims, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,”“containing,” “involving,” and the like are to be understood to beopen-ended, that is, to mean including but not limited to. Any use ofordinal terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., in the claims tomodify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority,precedence, or order of one claim element over another, or the temporalorder in which acts of a method are performed. Rather, unlessspecifically stated otherwise, such ordinal terms are used merely aslabels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name fromanother element having a same name (but for use of the ordinal term).

The above described preferred embodiments are intended to illustrate theprinciples of the invention, but not to limit the scope of theinvention. Various other embodiments and modifications to thesepreferred embodiments may be made by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method including: (a) receiving productidentifying information at a system of one or more data processingdevices included in an evaluation system, the product identifyinginformation identifying a damaged product; (b) receiving a section inputfrom a user device, the section input being received at the system ofone or more data processing devices included in the evaluation systemand identifying a damaged section of the damaged product; (c) undercontrol of the system of one or more data processing devices included inthe evaluation system, causing an outline for a grid to be displayed atthe user device along with a photograph of the identified damagedsection as a representation of the identified damaged section and alsocausing a sizing and alignment interface to be displayed at the userdevice and prompting the user to use the sizing and alignment interfaceto size and align the photograph to the outline for the grid, where theoutline for the grid is separate from the representation of theidentified damaged section and matches a peripheral shape of therepresentation of the identified damaged section, the grid defining anumber of grid segments with each grid segment located over a respectiveportion of the representation of the identified damaged section once thephotograph is sized and aligned with the outline for the grid, the gridand representation of the identified damaged section being displayedtogether with a number of predefined damage severity indicators, each ofthe number of predefined damage severity indicators indicating adifferent level of damage and being associated with a predefinedrepresentation of that respective level of damage; (d) receiving arespective damage severity level input from the user device for each ofthe grid segments encompassing damage which is to be considered in anoverall repair cost estimate for the identified damaged section, eachrespective damage severity level input being received at the system ofone or more data processing devices included in the evaluation systemand including a user-selected damage severity indicator selected fromthe number of predefined damage severity indicators displayed at theuser device; (e) at the system of one or more data processing devicesincluded in the evaluation system, for each respective damage severitylevel input, retrieving damage estimate data from one or more datastorage devices, the retrieved damage estimate data being specified atleast in part by (i) that respective grid segment and by (ii) theuser-selected damage severity indicator for that respective damageseverity level input; and (f) at the system of one or more dataprocessing devices included in the evaluation system, applying theretrieved damage estimate data to produce the overall repair costestimate for the identified damaged section.
 2. An apparatus including:(a) a first data storage device; and (b) a system of one or more dataprocessing devices operably connected for communication with the firstdata storage device, the system of one or more data processing devicesconfigured to, (i) receive product identifying information identifying adamaged product; (ii) receive a section input from a user device, thesection input identifying a damaged section of the damaged product;(iii) cause an outline for a grid to be displayed at a display of theuser device along with a photograph of the identified damaged section asa representation of the identified damaged section and also cause asizing and alignment interface to be displayed at the display of theuser device and prompt the user to use the sizing and alignmentinterface to size and align the photograph with the outline for thegrid, where the outline for the grid is separate from the representationof the identified damaged section and matches a peripheral shape of therepresentation of the identified damaged section, the grid defining anumber of grid segments with each grid segment located over a respectiveportion of the representation of the identified damaged section once thephotograph is sized and aligned with the outline for the grid, the gridand representation of the identified damaged section being displayedtogether with a number of predefined damage severity indicators, each ofthe number of predefined damage severity indicators indicating adifferent respective level of damage and being associated with apredefined representation of that respective level of damage; (iv)receive a respective damage severity level input for each of the gridsegments encompassing damage which is to be included in an overallrepair cost estimate for the identified damaged section, each respectivedamage severity level input including a user-selected damage severityindicator selected from the number of predefined damage severityindicators displayed at the display of the user device; (v) for eachrespective damage severity level input, retrieve damage estimate datafrom repair data stored in the first data storage device or in anadditional data storage device, the retrieved damage estimate data beingspecified at least in part by the respective grid segment for which therespective damage severity level input is received and by theuser-selected damage severity indicator for that respective damageseverity level input; and (vi) apply the retrieved damage estimate datato produce the overall repair cost estimate for the identified damagedsection.
 3. A program product comprising one or more tangible,non-transitory data storage devices storing program code, the programcode including: (a) grid correlation program code executable to (i)cause a photograph of a damaged section of a product to be displayed ata display of a user device together with an outline for a grid and witha sizing and alignment interface and to prompt the user to use thesizing and alignment interface to size and align the photograph with theoutline for the grid, the photograph of the damaged section of theproduct comprising a representation of the damaged section of theproduct and the outline for the grid being separate from therepresentation of the damaged section of the product and the griddefining a number of grid segments with each grid segment located over arespective portion of the representation of the damaged section once thephotograph is sized and aligned with the outline for the grid, and to(ii) cause the representation of the damaged section and grid to bedisplayed at the display of the user device together with a number ofpredefined damage severity indicators, each of the number of predefineddamage severity indicators indicating a different respective level ofdamage and being associated with a predefined representation of thatrespective level of damage; (b) input program code executable to, (i)receive product identifying information identifying the product, and(ii) receive a section input from the user device, the section inputidentifying the damaged section of the product, and (iii) receive arespective damage severity level input for each of the grid segmentsencompassing damage which is to be included in an overall repair costestimate for the identified damaged section, each respective damageseverity level input including a user-selected damage severity indicatorselected from the number of predefined damage severity indicatorsdisplayed at the display of the user device; and (c) evaluation programcode executable to, for each respective damage severity level input,retrieve damage estimate data from repair data stored in one or moredata storage devices, the retrieved damage estimate data being specifiedat least in part by the respective grid segment for which the respectivedamage severity level input is received and by the user-selected damageseverity indicator for that respective damage severity level input, theevaluation program code also being executable to apply the retrieveddamage estimate data to produce the overall repair cost estimate for theidentified damaged section.